Rio Ferdinand described Fabio Capello’s decision to appoint him as England captain for tomorrow night’s friendly against France as a “fantastic honour” but said he would not be changing the way he approached the game.

“It’s a fantastic honour and an achievement in itself to be named England captain,” he said.

“As a kid you grow up wanting to play for England and lead your country out and I’ve been given that honour of being able to fulfil those dreams, so I am happy.

“I have done it for Man United in the past. I will lead by example, not be afraid to stand up and say what needs to be said.”

Ferdinand, who was also captain at Leeds United prior to his departure for Old Trafford in summer 2002, does not expect any awkwardness between himself and John Terry, who wore the armband under Steve McClaren, the previous head coach.

“It’s not like that. If JT needs to say something, I’m sure he’ll say it. You don’t change your game just on being captain - you need to be a leader no matter what.

“It’s more important that there are 11 guys out there that want to lead.”

Ferdinand said he would remain focused on the game at hand and not worry about trying to impress to earn the captaincy on a permanent basis.

“The manager is well-documented as saying he will not make his mind up until the qualifying starts in September and I’m under no illusions it is not set in stone. I’ll be going out there, trying to do what I do for Man United, and if that’s good enough to become captain of England then great.

“I’d be a liar if I said there wasn’t any added pressure,” he added. “But when isn’t there pressure? It’s a different scenario to impress the new manager but that’s part and parcel of playing for your country.”

Asked about the achievement compared to the low point of his career, when he was banned for eight months in 2003 for missing a drugs test, Ferdinand said: “If you can’t be forgiven for failings when you were young then that is not a good thing.

“Since then, I have applied myself to a different level on the pitch, the training field and in my private life as well.”

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